The next day I cautiously entered Ginger's room on Kris's request. I hadn't exactly spoken to Ginger since I got here yesterday, except for when she was barking at Kris to come with her to the interview, and Kris insisted I have a formidable friendship with Ginger if I plan on touring with the girls for the next�however long I decide to stay. I still don't know how much longer I plan on staying but I'm having fun so far.
"Uh, Ginger?"
I have to admit I am deathly afraid of Ginger right now. There are a number of ways she can react to my presence and most of them are not good. What I'm most surprised about is how much Kris is pushing me into this. I'm in Ginger's room, by myself, with a locked door behind me that Kris doesn't have access to at this point. Kris knows my history with Ginger. I don't know why, but she really trusts me in this. Sure, there's no way in hell I would ever do anything with Ginger ever again (pfft�I'm not going to risk losing Kris just for Ginger), but Kris doesn't necessarily know that.
"Oh," Ginger said, turning around with a smile on her face. "Hey Taylor!" I like this mood. This I can handle. "Where's Kris?"
"She's in our room," I said, and the thought almost sent shivers through my body. Our room. Not Kris's room�our room. "I just came in to see how you were doing. The last time I saw you, you weren't exactly in the best of moods."
"Do you mean yesterday?" she asked.
"No, I mean when you were in Tulsa, although yesterday was bad too."
"Yeah," she said, nodding. "But I had every reason." I nodded. "Well, geez, come in. I'm not going to hit on you or hit you or anything, Taylor, so you don't have to stay by the door the entire time." I realized that I was still standing right next to the door. I had every reason. I'm afraid of her, but not in the same way I'm afraid of Kris. My fear of Kris is a good thing; I like being afraid of how much I care about her even though we haven't been together for very long. I like being afraid of the way she makes me feel. Ginger�I'm afraid she's going to ruin me. That is a genuine fear and it affects everything about my budding friendship with Ginger, my pseudo ex-mistress.
I moved from the door and sat at the table. "So," I said. "How are you feeling?"
"I feel very�" she paused, looking for a good word. "Pregnant. I feel really pregnant."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I mean, I don't feel a baby inside of me but I've got the nasty ass morning sickness and, as I'm sure you can tell, I'm starting to get bitchy."
"Starting?"
"Funny." She sat down on her bed. "So I guess Kris told you I'm keeping the baby?" I nodded. She looked at me closely, as close as she could from three feet away. I was about to say something when she spoke again. "You still think I should tell Zac."
"Of course I do." "Taylor, Zac completely ditched me. He didn't let me get a single word in. He's made his choice." I shook my head. "Listen to me, he ditched you too. He up and left the band without any warning, without any consideration for anybody! He's a selfish little prick and if he doesn't get what he wants he's going to punish everybody for it." As much as I agreed with her, this was still my brother she was talking about.
"You don't know Zac like I do," I told her. "He's anything but selfish. I've put that boy through a lot of shit in his life and, yeah, I'm pissed off at him but I can understand his reasoning. What did you expect, Ginger? Him to forgive you? Say 'I know you slept with my brother all those times, but that's okay. I love you anyway.' " She gave me a look. "What?"
"So you're taking his side?" I didn't think I was taking a side. I thought about what I said.
"You know what?" I asked. "Yes. I think you're out of line."
"Really?"
"Yes. You're pregnant with his child and you're keeping the baby, but you're not going to tell him? I don't know when I'm going to talk to him again but when I do, you can bet he's going to know about that baby."
"You wouldn't."
"Well you're obviously not going to."
"I have every right to not tell him!"
"You have no right! This is his child, Ginger!"
"Get the hell out of my room."
"Fine." I got up and left immediately. I went back into my room, slamming the door behind me. Kris looked up from the computer screen she had tried to work on last night. "Great idea, Kris. Why don't I try to talk to Ginger?"
"What happened?" she asked.
"I lost my temper." I flung myself down on the bed. "She has no right not to tell Zac! No right!"
"Oh God, Taylor�you can't just go off on her like that! She's pregnant!"
"She's not made of glass, Kris. She can handle a stern talking to." Kris shook her head. "You think she should tell him!"
"Of course I think she should tell him, but I don't go telling her that! She's made up her mind and I know Ginger. When she's made up her mind you might as well stop trying because you're not going to change anything. She's extremely stubborn."
"So is Zac."
"See? They're perfect together."
"Yeah�whatever." Kris stood up and walked over to me. She pulled herself over me on the bed. "Why, hello baby."
"You know, I think we're kind of perfect together too."
"Really?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "So do I." She kissed me. I was not happy when the door opened slightly and Ginger didn't come in, but she yelled for Kris.
"Kris! Get out here!"
"Why is it she has a key to our room yet you don't have a key to hers?" I asked. Kris didn't answer me before she kissed me again and ran off to Ginger. It if were me, I would have sassed back at Ginger, but that was just because I'm pissed off at her right now. The door closed and my phone rang. I groaned and picked it up. "Hello?"
"Hey Taylor! It's your non-brother brother."
"Hey Leo."
"How's Italy?" I sighed. "That doesn't sound like a 'I'm in the country of love with my lover and the world is awesome' kind of sigh."
"I'm just pissed off at Ginger."
"Why?"
"Well she's keeping the baby," I said. "But she's definitely not going to tell Zac about it. I cannot believe she's not going to tell Zac about it."
"That's kind of her decision to make, Taylor."
"It might be her decision but it's the wrong decision!" I said. "I�I don't know if I'm going to be able to keep it a secret if I ever talk to Zac again." I shook my head. "Have you heard anything from him?"
"No," Leo said. "Nothing. I talked to Isaac and he can't get a hold of Zac, your parents haven't heard from him�I can understand if his phone isn't in yet in his apartment, but he still has his cell phone. He could at least call and say he arrived okay."
"He's probably afraid I'm going to answer the phone. Has anybody tried to call him?"
"His phone is off all the time."
"Great�I'd say tell him I'm in Italy but then he'll think I came over here with Ginger and that's the last thing I want. Then he'll definitely never talk to me again. Tell him I'm not around. Tell I'm I died. Then he'll change his mind."
"I'm not going to tell him you died, Taylor! You tell him you died."
"I don't think that's going to be very convincing, Leo," I said. "No, maybe we better not tell him that at all. So you said you talked to my parents?"
"Yeah."
"How are they doing?"
"Your dad's okay, I mean he's your dad. He doesn't really show a lot of emotion. Your mother is a wreck. I've never seen her like this. I mean with Zac gone, you in Italy, and Isaac never coming over anymore, it's kind of like she doesn't have you guys as sons anymore. Jess is the oldest now and although she likes hearing that, she misses you guys."
"Yeah, I miss her too," I said.
"What girl are you missing?" Kris asked, walking into view again.
"My sister," I explained. Kris's jealously was kind of cute. Kris smiled.
"That's adorable! Who are you really missing, though?"
"My sister!" I said.
"Who're you talking to?"
"Leo."
"Hi Kris!" Leo said.
"He says hi," I told her.
"Hi Leo!" Kris said. "Anyway, baby, are you packed? We're going to the train station in about twenty minutes." I raised an eyebrow. Train station? "Oh come on, what's the point of flying to Florence when we can just take the train! It's so beautiful out here, I would love to ride the train."
"Have you ever been on a train before?" I asked. She shook her head. "That's why."
"Whatever. Are you ready to go?" I nodded. I know a little bit more about promotional touring than Kris does. I know what how much I can unpack if I'm loaded down with work and although this time I'm just here to keep my girlfriend company that sense is still around.
"Hey Taylor," Leo said, getting my attention back.
"What?"
"Could you do me a favor?"
"Sure. What?"
"I know you love your girlfriend and everything, but don't stay out there too long. Your mom's going through a terrible time right now and it's fine that you're doing this, but don't overstay your welcome. Come home every now and then."
"Oh, don't worry about me, Leo," I said. "We won't be out here too long." Leo, however, did not seem too convinced of that. It was probably because I was lying and he knew it.
"It is so gorgeous out here," Kris said on the train to Florence. We were nearly there and Kris was on the phone (currently on hold) with somebody important that was taking care of Ginger's book signing this afternoon. Although Ginger wanted her there, it wasn't necessary that Kris be there, and since this was the only day we'll be staying in Florence, Kris insisted on hitting at least one museum before we left. Kris is so incredibly fascinated by art. I never really had the free time to explore the cities like I do this time around. I'm not insanely huge on art like Kris is, but I like going to museums so at least she's not dragging me along to places I don't want to go. "Taylor, when we get married can we come out here on our honeymoon?" She had a grin on her face and she was obviously trying to get a rise out of me, but unfortunately for her I have already thought about that.
"I was thinking we could go to Sydney," I said, looking at her as seriously as I could.
"Okay�" She turned back to the window and I smiled. "Hello? Yeah, she'll need�Hello? Do you not speak English either? Get me someone who speaks English!" Kris was having a horrible time trying to get through to this bookstore. This was the third person she'd spoken to and this was the third time she got someone who didn't speak any English. "English! Anglais! Inglese!" She groaned in frustration. "Does anybody speak Spanish? Espa�ol? Oh, thank God!" She began to speak very fast in Spanish. I watched, my arms folded over my chest, until she hung up about five minutes later. "Jesus, you'd think if an American writer was going to be doing this, with a book written in English, somebody there would speak English!"
"Since when could you speak Spanish?"
"Since forever," she said, giving me a look. "It was my first language!"
"You never told me."
"Yes I did." I shook my head. "I so did! I've told you a million times! I've even spoken to you in Spanish!"
"No way. I would have remembered! I remember everything you've ever said to me." She gave me a skeptical look. "I'm serious!"
"Okay, Hot Shot," she told me. "About two weeks ago we were watching Sixteen Candles on TV and I mentioned how many times�"
"Twenty-three."
"Oh my God!"
"And eight of those times was during those two weeks when they kept playing it over and over on TV." She looked at me in disbelief. "What do you think I do when we're on the phone? Sit there and not listen?"
"I don't listen!"
"You don't?"
"Well, I listen, but I do other stuff. I'm doing my nails, I'm taking care of stuff for Ginger�" I looked away, huffing.
"Well it just shows how much you care about me. I pay attention to you." She laughed. "And now you're laughing at me."
"I'm sorry, honey. You just look like a girl." I looked back at her. "Sorry. Sorry! I love you!"
"Whatever�" I turned away but she put her arms around me and began to kiss me. The more she did that, the more I looked away.
"Honey�" I looked back at her. "I'm sorry."
"You know, you're not going to this signing this afternoon."
"Yes, Taylor, I know that."
"But if there's nobody there who speaks English, how is that going to work?" She smiled.
"Oh. We have a translator. Don't worry about it."
"Oh�then why didn't the translator take care of that call, then?" She looked around the empty cabin.
"Do you see him anywhere?" she asked. "I'm not about to get up and go find him for a simple phone call."
"You were on the phone for an hour and when you finally got a conversation going, it was over in less than five minutes. That's hardly simple." She muttered a 'whatever' and looked out the window again.
"Man, this is awesome." It never hurt to be with someone who hadn't lost the excitement of traveling. I lost it a long time ago. It was around the same time I started drugs. Maybe it happened because I was using drugs. It's just nice to see someone so young and spirited�although that makes me sound ancient.
"Whoa, hold on." Kris grabbed the windowsill, put her other hand up, and sat perfectly still.
"Why am I holding?" she asked a moment later. I gave her a look and she burst out laughing. "I'm sorry, sweetie."
"How old are you?" She paused, looking over at me.
"You don't know how old I am?"
"It never came up!"
"Oh my God, Taylor! Do you even know me at all? What the hell are you doing here with me if you don't even know me?"
"It's not like I don't know you, Kris! I know a lot about you! You don't just spend a month on the phone talking to a person without learning some stuff about them! It's just whenever we talk we don't talk about the facts. We don't talk about where you were born, or how old you are, or what your parents' names are! We talk about your life, your career, what you like and what you don't like�you know, the things that matter!"
"So knowing how old I am doesn't matter?"
"No! Not in everyday life. I don't go around every second of every day saying 'I'm twenty years old!' It's not a conscious thought." She huffed and turned away. "Kris�"
"You don't know anything about me!"
"Of course I do�" She turned back to me.
"So what's my middle name, then?" I paused. I had no idea. She'd never told me.
"Um�Maria?" She scowled.
"Lucky guess. Fine, how do you spell my name?"
"What do you mean how do I spell your name?" I asked. She continued to scowl at me, waiting for me to answer the question. "Fine. C-H�"
"No!" she said. "It's with a K! K-R!" She stood up. "You don't know me at all!"
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going to find Ginger! I have work to do!" She stormed out of the cabin. I sighed and sat back. There was no use going after her, and with all of that, I still didn't know how old she was.